Publisher: Virtual Driver Interactive
Facts checked
In the summer of 2019, 13-year-old Simon Bus sat in an Atlanta classroom and learned to drive on an Xbox. He was still two years away from his learner's permit.
This guide from Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI) covers what a driving game can teach, what research says, and how driver ed programs can use one.
Can a driving video game help teens get ready for driver's ed?
Yes, if it's a training program and not a racing game. A good one can teach road signs, rules, car controls, and how to spot hazards before a teen ever holds a permit. It can't replace behind-the-wheel lessons or supervised driving hours.
The research points both ways. In a large federal study, a computer hazard course raised teens' hazard-spotting scores, but crash results were mixed. Racing games have been linked to more risk-taking.
Our view: treat a home driving program as a warm-up. Pair it with instructor debriefs and parent practice, and never count it toward required hours.
Picture a student who spent the summer on a home driving program. She knows the signs, but does she scan the crosswalk before turning? Practice builds familiarity. An instructor reviewing her errors turns it into coaching. Fit depends on access, and the evidence has limits. Our Novice Driving Essentials (NDE) curriculum page shows the full lesson list and the reports instructors get after each session.
What happened when a 13-year-old learned to drive on an Xbox
Simon used Driving Essentials, a home version of VDI's simulator training. CEO Bob Davis explained it in our August 2019 announcement: "We took our most successful simulation title, Driving Essentials, and modified it for PS4 and Xbox." That release described 10 lessons plus free driving.
Simon liked the access. "It's pretty cool it's on your Xbox and you can play it whenever you want at your house," he told 11Alive reporter Hope Ford. His mom, Josie, said he was getting "exposed to the rules of the road" and learning the controls.
The hazard drives surprised him most:
"How dangerous it can be, because you can hit people and get in pretty bad accidents so that was pretty shocking."
Van Burns, vice president of sales for Driving Essentials, explained it in the same report. "They're not going to have skids or have a pedestrian walk out in front of you in driving school, but we can do that here."
Is Driving Essentials still on Xbox and PlayStation?
Yes. On October 30, 2026, the Xbox store listing showed Driving Essentials for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S at $29.99. The PlayStation Store listing showed the PS4 version at $29.99 in the US. In 2019, the price was $39.
School simulators cost more. Our hardware options page lists complete systems from $9,900, including software.
What research says about driving games and hazard training
Hazard training on a screen can sharpen scanning
NHTSA tested a computer course called Risk Awareness and Perception Training (RAPT) with 5,251 newly licensed California teens. Their average hazard anticipation score rose from 1.98 before training to 6.77 after, per the 2016 NHTSA evaluation of RAPT.
Crash results were mixed. Trained young men had about a 23.7% lower crash rate in their first year than untrained young men. Young women showed no significant difference, and there was no overall effect.
Racing games can push the other way
In 2007, Peter Fischer and colleagues in Munich published a set of studies in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. Men who played even one racing game took more risks on a later computer simulation, HealthDay reported. People who played more racing games also reported more crashes.
Burns made the same point to 11Alive: "If you're playing Grand Theft Auto that's not going to teach you proper driving techniques, but this program can."
Our view: what the game rewards matters more than the screen. Pick programs that score safe following distance, scanning, and signaling, not speed.
| Practice type | What it builds | Feedback | Counts toward required hours? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racing video game | Controller skill. Speed and risk often win. | Lap times and wins | No | Varies |
| Home training program, such as Driving Essentials | Rules, signs, controls, early hazard exposure | In-game scores, no instructor | No | $29.99 on Xbox and PS4 store listings |
| School simulator with an instructor, such as NDE | Hazard detection, intersections, following distance, weather | Instructor debrief plus session reports | Set by each state. Georgia bars it from behind-the-wheel hours. | Complete systems from $9,900, including software |
| Supervised driving with a parent | Judgment in real traffic | Parent coaching in the moment | Yes, where states require them | Family car, fuel, and time |
Why early practice matters: teen crash risk by the numbers
The CDC's teen driver risk page says, "Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate or not be able to recognize dangerous situations."
- In 2024, drivers ages 16 to 19 had a fatal crash rate per mile just over 3 times that of drivers 20 and older. Risk was highest at 16 and 17, per IIHS Fatality Facts 2024: Teenagers.
- Teens "rarely crash while they are being supervised by adults," says NHTSA's teen driving page. They have the highest crash rates of any age group in their first 6 months of solo driving.
- In 2024, 2,636 people died in crashes involving a teen driver. Of those deaths, 825 happened in the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to AAA's 2026 summer safety release.
Our view: a teen who already knows the signs and controls can spend supervised hours on judgment, not basics.
How driver ed programs can use home driving practice
Parents will ask if a driving game is worth it. Here's a plan to use in class and share with them.
Five steps for using home driving practice in driver ed
Recommendations from Virtual Driver Interactive, October 2026. Not a state requirement.
- Step 1Pick training, not racingLook for lessons, a virtual instructor, and scores that reward safe habits.
- Step 2Keep sessions focusedOne lesson at a time, then talk it through.
- Step 3Ask for one takeawayStudents bring one surprise to class, like Simon's pedestrian moment.
- Step 4Debrief what a game can't showMirrors, head checks, and real brake feel need a car and a coach.
- Step 5Keep hours separateDon't log game time as classroom, behind-the-wheel, or supervised time.
The access tradeoff
"A lot of kids don't have drivers ed in their school around the country," Burns told 11Alive. A home program can fill part of that gap. But not every family owns a console.
A school simulator program gives every student the same lessons, and you see the results. Our guide to adding driving simulators to a school driver education program covers scheduling, instructor feedback, and a pilot.
Key takeaways
- A driving training program can teach rules, signs, controls, and early hazard awareness before the permit.
- Racing games reward speed, and studies link them to more risk-taking.
- Computer-based hazard training raised hazard anticipation in a large NHTSA study, but crash results were mixed.
- Game time doesn't replace behind-the-wheel lessons or supervised hours.
- Pair home practice with instructor debriefs and parent coaching.
Frequently asked questions
Does time on a driving video game count toward license requirements?
Generally, no. States set classroom, behind-the-wheel, and supervised hours. Georgia's driver training school rules say simulator training can't replace any of the 6 behind-the-wheel hours. Check your state's licensing agency.
Can racing games make teens riskier drivers?
They might. In the 2007 Munich studies, men took more risks on a simulation after one racing game. Those studies measured risk-taking in tests and self-reported crashes, not crash records.
How many supervised practice hours should a teen get?
The CDC's guide to reducing teen driver risk lists at least 70 supervised hours as a licensing best practice. NHTSA says many states require 40 to 50. Treat your state's rule as the minimum, not the goal.
The CDC also suggests a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement. Parents and teens agree on safe driving rules in writing before solo driving starts.
Should a teen use a driving game before or after the permit?
Both can help. Before the permit, it builds comfort with rules, signs, and controls. After, it adds hazard practice between real drives.
The NHTSA RAPT study trained teens just after they were licensed, and their hazard scores still rose. Practice doesn't stop being useful once a teen is on the road.
Use the game as a warm-up, then coach the real thing
Simon's story shows what home practice does well. It gets teens curious early and teaches the basics before the permit. The research says hazard training can sharpen what teens notice, as long as the lessons reward safe choices. Start with the five-step plan above, and share it with parents this term.
Want that practice for every student in your program, with results you can review? Request a demo and we'll show you NDE in a classroom setting.
Request a DemoSources
- No car, no problem. Teens learning to drive with a video game, Hope Ford, 11Alive, July 16, 2019.
- Driving Essentials XE Teen Driver Training Now Available on PlayStation4, Virtual Driver Interactive, August 1, 2019.
- Driving Essentials, Xbox store listing, checked October 30, 2026.
- Driving Essentials, PlayStation Store listing, checked October 30, 2026.
- Evaluation of the Safety Benefits of the Risk Awareness and Perception Training Program for Novice Teen Drivers, Thomas and others, NHTSA, DOT HS 812 235, January 2016.
- Video Racing Games Linked to Risky Road Behavior, HealthDay, March 19, 2007, on Fischer, Kubitzki, Guter, and Frey, "Virtual driving and risk taking," Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2007.
- Risk Factors for Teen Drivers and Reducing Risk for Teen Drivers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 4, 2025.
- Fatality Facts 2024: Teenagers, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, June 2026.
- Teen Driving, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- AAA Urges Drivers to Practice "100 Days of Safe Driving" This Summer, AAA Newsroom, May 20, 2026.
- Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Subject 375-5-2: Driver Training Schools, Georgia Secretary of State.
- Novice Driving Essentials (NDE) and Hardware Options, Virtual Driver Interactive.
Media credits
Practice comparison table and five-step plan: original graphics by Virtual Driver Interactive, built from the sources above. Quotes from Simon Bus, Josie, and Van Burns: 11Alive, July 2019. Bob Davis quote: VDI press release, August 2019.